Chapter 177: Evening Surprise

Clypeus chased after Nora into the dark. The full moon’s silver light made it easy for his vampiric night vision to spot her. She hadn’t gone very far, she was crouched behind a rock, with her head between her knees. The grass helped camouflage her, but her brown hair, flowing in the breeze, gave her away.

“There you are,” Clypeus sighed in relief.

He sat down in front of her amidst the tall grass and smiled. Nora glared at him and turned her back.

“You’re angry at me?” Clypeus frowned.

“You just stood there, Cly, you just stood there! You think it wasn’t embarrassing for me? Vomiting my guts out while everyone stared and my fiancé watching with his mouth hanging open like an idiot.”

“What was I supposed to do? I didn’t know!”

Tears filled her eyes. “Neither did Kegrog, but that didn’t stop him from helping me!”

“...You’re right. Kegrog is a good friend. I should have helped,” Clypeus sighed.

Nora wiped her eyes.

“I thought this couldn’t happen with you drinking the tea.”

“The red spell isn’t perfect. Sometimes the tea fails,” Nora’s shoulders slumped.

“...How long have you known?” Clypeus whispered.

“There were signs, I had suspicions, but I wasn’t sure until a few minutes ago,” she mumbled.

“You found out with everyone else?”

“Mm,” she sniffed.

He winced, “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“Because of you and your family! You always talk about how the Gales have bred their lineage solely for the purpose of strength. You literally planned on taking a vampiress as your second wife, a woman you don’t even know, just so you could breed perfect little children with her.”

“I thought you were okay with that? You knew I was a Gale. My family has responsibilities as the Shield of Veres. We must have a strong line of magi to serve the Veres family and keep them safe.”

“I know that. I’m fine with you having children with others. You’re not the only one from a Great House. I have several half-siblings too, most aristocrats do. But did you ever once think how humiliating it was for me to constantly hear you tell others how I wasn’t good enough? That because I was a human I would never equal your vampire bride?”

Clypeus wrinkled his brow, “Vampires are physically stronger and faster than humans. We even live longer. That’s a fact. I don’t know why that would bother you.”

“You really are an idiot,” she muttered.

“What?”

“You’re an IDIOT! You think being stronger and faster somehow makes a person better than another? We all have our strengths. You just never even bothered to look at them. The Tempest Archmage chose me as her apprentice. Me. Not some vampire, not a drow, not an orc, she chose me, a human. Not that any of that mattered to you. You always thought humans were inadequate, inferior.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Clypeus frowned.

“Yeah, you did, even if you didn’t realize it. I didn’t want our child to grow up believing they weren't good enough for their father.”

Clypeus took a deep breath, “I never thought you weak, Nora. And if we do… have a child, I will be proud to be their father… Although, if we have a child, they will inherit the responsibility of the Gales. They will have to dedicate their lives to House Veres, you understand don’t you?”

“I’ll have our child inherit the Azol family name. I won’t have them grow up being subject to your family’s beliefs.”

Clypeus shook his head, “I don’t know if my family would be okay with that. This situation is more complex than you think.”

“I’ll figure it out, with or without you,” Nora bit her lip.

Clypeus grabbed her hand, “I’m not going anywhere, Nora… I’m just afraid of losing you. Many mothers of hybrids don’t survive labor. Look at Stryg and Callum, neither of them grew up with their mothers. That isn’t a coincidence, that’s a mortality rate.”

Nora shook her head, “I’ve thought this over a lot more than you realize. I’ve looked into hybrid births. Almost none of the births are well recorded. That’s when I realized something. Of course they aren’t recorded, because hybrids are shunned by most societies. Stryg once mentioned how he was shunned in his own tribe for how he looked. The only reason Callum has a semblance of a normal life is that he is the son of Lord Veres and even then people talk behind his back.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying people don’t know much about hybrids because people don’t want to. Hybrids have always lived at the edge of society, pariahs, alone. Last I checked, the chance of any mother’s survival is greatly increased if she has people looking after her and has proper medical attention. Do you think a woman giving birth to a hybrid has a midwife? A white mage healer? Even a family to look after her? No. Because most women are thrown out by their families when they are found to be pregnant with a hybrid.”

“You’re saying that the reason hybrid mothers die more often in labor is that they didn’t have proper medical care? Then what about Callum’s mother?”

Nora swallowed, “Callum’s mother was one of the many lesser wives of Lord Veres.”

“And? Lord Veres would not have let her die. He loved her.”

“Exactly! Lord Veres loved a human woman. How do you think that would have made the other wives feel? I talked to Callum, I asked him if his father was there when he was born. Callum said no. Lord Veres was out in Dusk Valley, fighting tribal raiders.”

Clypeus felt a shiver run up his spine, “...I… I don’t understand.”

“When the Lord of a House is gone, who wields power in his absence? His siblings? They all died during the battle for succession. So who takes power next? His children? They were all still very young. So who’s next?”

“The primary wife…”

“A vampiress aristocrat from Frost Rim known for her pride and beauty. Do you think a woman like her would stand by and do nothing when her husband’s love was focused on another? Did she not have the power to keep the healers away from Callum’s mother? Could she not have covered up her tracks?”

“Nora, be careful with your words. What you are suggesting is close to treason against the Veres family.”

“That’s my point. No one would dare question the primary wife of the powerful Lord Veres.”

Clypeus shook his head, “Even still, a Gale surely would have been placed to guard Callum’s mother during labor. They would have made sure to keep her alive.”

“Would they? Because last I checked the Gales only protect the Veres, they don’t care about others. Callum is a Veres, not his mother.”

“Now you’re implying one of my family members looked the other way while his charge was left to die. I won’t tolerate such dishonor to the Gale name,” Clypeus scowled.

Nora glared at him, “I’m just saying the whole thing is suspicious. I don’t plan on being left in the same position as Callum's mother. I will give birth in House Azol’s mansion among Azol servants.”

“Nora…”

“You always ask me if I trust you. And I always say yes. I’m asking you to trust me now.”

“I trust you… but, this is…”

Nora’s small shoulders trembled, she bit her lip, “It’s getting late. We are in the middle of an exam. We’ll talk about this later.”

“Wait, we should talk about this now.”

Nora shifted away from him and walked back to the camp without another word. Clypeus watched her go, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, he frowned.

“Stryg, I’m guessing you heard all of that. Can you come here, please?”

A few moments later the tall grass shook and parted to reveal a sheepish blue face.

“I wasn’t trying to listen. I was eating my food next to the others, but everyone was quiet, and Nora and you were really loud,” Stryg admitted.

“I guessed as much,” Clypeus sighed. “So, what do you think about all of this?”

“I don’t know very much about the hierarchy between the primary wife and the other wives. Not that it’s very relevant, but back in Bloodfang, I once saw First Mother kill a hunter who groped the ass of Second Mother. No one ever dared grope one of the Mothers again.”

“As interesting as that sounds I don’t think that’s very helpful in this situation,” Clypeus rubbed his face.

“Right,” Stryg nodded.

Clypeus groaned, “What should I do?”

Stryg sat next to him and plucked out a few blades of grass, “... I don’t know what it’s like to have actual parents. Sylvan goblins don’t know their parents. The Mothers say it’s for the best. Maybe they're right. Although, sometimes I think, maybe it would have been nice to have known them. Kitty once told me parents are people who love you without you having to do anything to earn it. I know that doesn’t sound very realistic, but it sounds nice.”

Clypeus stared at him in surprise.

Stryg tilted his head to the side. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just… You can be very wise sometimes.”

“Oh,” Stryg blinked.

Clypeus laughed, “I don’t know why I’m stressing out so much. I thin-”

“Shh,” Stryg raised his hand.

He shut his mouth and glanced at the surrounding grass with a sharp eye.

“What is it?” Clypeus whispered.

“Footsteps, a lot of them,” Stryg narrowed his eyes.

“Where are they coming from?”

“Everywhere.”

Clypeus’ eyes widened, “They’re surrounding us. Nora.”

The vampire dashed away without a second thought.

Stryg closed his eyes and let black mana flow from his heart and into his veins. Shadows curled around his body. He took off his shoes and let his toes feel the rock and dirt underneath. Stryg darted through the tall grass, obscured from sight.

~~~

A man in a cloak of mottled green slowly made his way through the cliffside towards the campfires in the near distance. He heard a soft rustling behind him. He looked back. Five sharp claws dug into his neck and slashed his throat. The man toppled over, clutching at his throat as the blood spurted out. A shadowy figure loomed over him, obscuring the sight of the moon. All the man saw were two cold lilac eyes staring back at him.

An explosion of fire and thunder roared in the distance. Stryg’s eyes shot up, dozens of cloaked warriors rushed the campsite. Countless screams echoed through his ears.